Out and about: The Head and The Heart, Aisha Tyler headline week of entertainment

Published: September 19, 2012 5:11 pm

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The Head and The Heart with Bryan John Appleby

Spotlight show • Jonathan Russell (vocals, guitar, percussion) of The Head and The Heart and opening act Bryan John Appleby left the places where they were born and raised to move to Seattle with dreams of music success. In a phone interview, Russell said spending $700 to drive away from Virginia was the right decision. "Richmond didn't really have a music scene," he said. He expected the scene to be full of bands such as Modest Mouse and The Shins, but Seattle proved to be a bustling breeding ground for alt-country songs like his, and in 2009 his quintet was created. After selling more than 10,000 copies of its self-released debut, the band signed with indie label Sub Pop on the strength of its reputation as a strong live act. The band is playing new songs, although because all of the musicians are writers, those songs might not appear officially. "Who knows if these new songs will be on the new record," he said. "We can't play the same 10 songs over and over." Appleby grew up in the bucolic hamlet of Santa Cruz, Calif., but moved to Seattle with his band. When that band dissolved, Appleby relished the chance to write his own material. "I had only been 20 percent of the writing process," he said in a phone interview about his defunct band. "I wondered if I would be able to make 100 percent of the decisions."

When • Friday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m.

Where • The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City

Tickets • $20 at SmithsTix

Aisha Tyler

Spotlight show • Audiences watching "The Talk" might not know that panelist Aisha Tyler began performing stand-up comedy two decades ago. Tyler, whom some will remember as the host of "Talk Soup" in between Greg Kinnear and Joel McHale, spent the month of August perfecting her new material (she will record a comedy special next month) while she took time off to write a script and a book. She also tapes a popular podcast and is a gamer who can't wait until "Halo 4" is released later this year. With so much on her plate, it's not surprising she's never performed in Utah before. "I have never done stand-up in Utah, in front of people drinking fermented water," Tyler said in a phone interview. But don't expect behind-the-scenes details from "The Talk" or other run-ins with celebrities. "Who gives a crap about celebrities?" she said. Her conversational, personal style shows the influences of her inspirations, such as George Carlin, Dave Chappelle and Marc Maron. "The most important thing is honesty," she said. There's one thing she is also sure about, now that the Olympics are over. "Synchronized diving serves no purpose."